SOESD - Special Education Teacher and Severe Disabilities; CARE

The Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) is looking for an energetic and skilled teacher to lead the STEPS CARE program with passion and understanding for working with its unique population of students. The successful candidate will carry out their work with confidence and exhibit the attributes of a trusted leader, be knowledgeable of disabilities and their impact on learning, and have a record of success working with students who present challenging behaviors paired with complex educational needs.

Overall, we desire a compassionate and accomplished team leader and teacher to continue the legacy of this outstanding program.

The STEPS CARE program offered by SOESD is an exceptional, specialized educational program serving students from ages 5 21 who experience multiple, significant disabilities along with cognitive deficits. Highly regarded throughout the region for its successful delivery of instruction and support for students who present the most difficult and challenging behaviors, the program enrolls students from districts throughout Southern Oregon. The well-equipped site includes multiple learning spaces that allow students and 1:1 staff to carry out appropriate learning activities in a safe and structured environment.

The program is staffed with dynamic and knowledgeable licensed teachers as well as trained educational assistants who provide individualized instruction and support for each student based on their IEP goals and behavior needs. In addition, a team of expert specialists, including a school psychologist, ASD specialist, speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, and school nurse, delivers direct services to students and consultative services to staff and parents.

Cooperation and collaboration among staff are paramount to the team approach in the classroom, which is built on fidelity to safe and consistent systems and routines, as well as trust and respectful communication between all members of the STEPS CARE team. This attitude is passed onto students who are treated with dignity and respect as they are taught new ways of communicating and self-regulating their behaviors.

Southern Oregon ESD is located in the Rogue Valley, the cultural and economic heart of southern Oregon, home to legendary snow-skiing, white-water rafting, kayaking, hiking, fishing, as well as numerous cultural venues and events such as art galleries, the Britt Music Festivals, the Ashland Independent Film Festival, and the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

POSITION GOAL:
To provide individualized instruction to increase students' performance of adaptive self-help, communication, social, behavioral, academic, vocational, and independent living skills.

• Collaborate as a member of a multidisciplinary team to establish a shared plan of action and coordinate instructional and intervention activities.
• Evaluate performance of self-help, communication, social, behavioral, academic, vocational,and independent living skills.
• Participate on IEP teams to implement all required special education procedures includingparent rights, eligibility, IEP, placement, behavior, restraint and seclusion, and other studentrecords according to stated timelines.
• Provide individual and small group instruction related to IEP goals.
• Develop and implement positive classroom rules and individual and group management programs, including participation in functional behavior assessments (FBAs) and development and implementation of behavior support plans (BSPs) and crisis intervention plans (CIPs).
• Implement training methods, record data, assess student progress, and adjust training strategies as necessary.
• Develop and maintain an instruction, related service provider, and mainstreaming schedule.
• Consult with regular teachers, related service providers, and involved social service agencies to meet student needs.
• Prepare and maintain classroom materials, equipment, telephone contact log, and specificsubstitute instructions.
• Communicate clearly and appropriately and make independent decisions within established policies and procedures.
• Trai…